An End to the Brad Penny Era?

The clock on Brad Penny’s time in Boston appears to be ticking away. With Buchholz’s domination in AAA and Smoltz activation looming, the Red Sox have to make a choice for the rotation. Here are the options:

Option 1: Keep Penny in the rotation, Buchholz stays in Pawtucket and Smoltz goes to the pen (which he does not want to do.)

Option 2: Bring up Buchholz, send Penny to the pen (Masterson goes to PawSox) and use Smoltz as a spot starter or go with a 6-man rotation.

Option 3: Trade Penny or Buchholz (Smoltz has no trade value until he has some sucessful starts)

The Red Sox are most likely going to trade Penny before the deadline. Buchholz has too much long term value to trade for a quick fix. The rumor mill on Penny has started to heat up and there are a number of teams that would like him. What can the Red Sox get in return for Penny? The catcher of the future or a big bat as insurance for Ortiz is wishful thinking but they could get a good prospect which would help keep the Sox rolling for years to come.